


Sunset (No Regrets)

by Ebthanyy



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Corporate bullshit, Disasters, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Smut, Not Canon Compliant, super soft kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:47:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25221136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ebthanyy/pseuds/Ebthanyy
Summary: How dare ShinRa drop a plate when they knew that they were under it?---ShinRa drop another plate. Reno and Rude are given a second chance.
Relationships: Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	Sunset (No Regrets)

**Author's Note:**

> TW: This isn't so much graphic depictions of _violence_ as it is graphic depictions of _injury_. This fic includes: broken bones, a medical setting, recovery and descriptions of severe injury.

_With a gasping screech, the plate fell. It was never meant to be this way._

They froze, and the seconds seemed to stretch out forever, erupting screams and terrified wails sounding hollow around them. 

Reno's hair blew in the breeze and Rude could swear that in the split seconds they had left, if he looked beyond the impending nothingness, this was just a normal day. 

In another second, Reno would reach out and take his hand, and everything would be as it was meant to be. They would leave this sector and head to Wall Market, where he would watch his partner's sweat slicked skin glisten in the lights of the dance floor, pressing heated kisses to his neck in the dark as his heart swelled and they swayed with the beat of the music. 

Instead, Reno turned towards him in what felt like slow motion. The redhead threw himself towards Rude, arms outstretched, a look of sheer, unbridled horror on his face. Rude didn't feel the jolt of adrenaline shoot through his system until he saw this expression on his partner. Only in this moment did he truly feel scared, and it wasn't the fear of death that had him crushing Reno to his chest, but the fear of losing the man he had come to love.

Reno's shout reached his ears a beat after he had seen his mouth move, and Rude instinctively tried to roll on top of him as they hit the ground, his primal urge screaming 'PROTECT' over the din of thousands of tonnes of metal falling from the sky and crashing to the ground. 

Reno's arms encircled his shoulders as he cried his name, face buried in his neck as the earth beneath them shook, the impact of the plate hitting the surface in pieces, catching on buildings before reaching its resting place. Rude felt pressure on his legs, and then pain, hot and white and final. Rubble crashed around them, and in a heartbeat, the world went black.

\---

When Reno woke up, his first thought was that he wished he hadn't. He groggily took stock of himself, focusing on sensation in his toes (one fractured), up his legs to his hips (fine, if a little stiff), up again to his spine (broken and fractured and splintered and shattered, and now repaired by body-warm metal and copious amounts of mako), to his clavicle (badly bruised but not broken), and then to his head, which ached like never before. His arms, one pin-pricked and studded with an IV, were black and blue like the rest of his body. A tube snaked into his nose and he grimaced at the revelation. 

His second thought was of Rude. He turned his head too fast to the left, and then to the right, where his partner lay in the neighbouring bed. Reno could see an array of cuts and grazes on his forehead, an oxygen tube cutting a stark contrast against his dark skin as it reflected the harsh light from the ceiling. His head was bandaged, and one leg was studded with metal pins. 

Reno watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, breathing deep and even and reassuring, thank the Gods, and he bit back tears, blood boiling as they spilled down his cheeks in vain. 

How dare ShinRa drop a plate when they knew that they were under it? How dare they drop one without telling them? Who pressed the button? Who gave the order? Who had rescued them, ordered their extraction? The questions raced through his head, making it spin and throb unbearably. He groaned, trying to push himself upright with one arm, and crying out in agony when a hot stab of pain shot across his shoulders. 

The sound must have altered a medic, as an exhausted looking doctor stumbled into the room. Reno eyed them cautiously. 

"You're awake," they said, "are you in pain?"  
"What the hell do you think?" Reno rasped, throat parched. How long had he been lying here? 

The medic seemed to anticipate his question, "you've been asleep for five days now, your partner was out for three," Reno released a breath he wasn't aware he was holding at that, then felt his stomach drop at the idea of Rude having to wake up and deal with his own pain without him, "you both sustained severe injuries from the...incident. You are lucky to be alive, and luckier still that someone was looking for you." 

The doctor retrieved a syringe from a locked cupboard and stuck it into the IV, pressing the plunger. Reno sighed headily as mako-enriched morphine raced into his system. He mulled over the doctor's words as he felt the painkiller ease him into rest.

Tseng must have needed them, must have tracked their locator signal after the plate dropped. Still, 'why' nagged at him, urging him to question the reason behind the plate drop in the first place. Hadn't one been enough? Hadn't the message been received the first time? 

"Rest now," the doctor said softly, "you're safe here. Your partner is as well," and with a gentle exhale, Reno let his aching body chase restful slumber. 

\---

Rude awoke with a start, panic rising in his chest as his nightmare left him. He had dreamt of the hospital room, although in his dream it was dark and clouded. Alarms blared, and when he had looked across to Reno, he had found only an empty bed. 

He glanced quickly across to the bed next to him, relieved to find Reno sleeping peacefully. Rude studied him carefully, noting that his skin appeared a little brighter, his hair a little less limp against the stark white sheets. A pitcher of water had been placed beside him, a sign that he had been awake (they had been giving him fluids and food through a tube which, Rude noted was now absent). 

They had been through hell. And what for? 

He needed to speak to Tseng, who so far had been absent...or Rufus, but he doubted that the president would come in person to hospital...

He knew he should be focusing on recovery, would have to learn to walk again with a new metal bone and sixteen glistening pins in his leg whilst his broken fibula healed, a process that was thankfully accelerated from his mako exposure. 

He knew he would have to be strong for Reno, too, who had screamed in pain and terror beneath him as rubble rained down and caused the earth beneath them to rumble and crack, erupting and shifting, the force enough to shatter his partner's spine. 

He remembered holding his shaking, clammy hand in the dark, breathing shallow and heartbeats frantic as they prepared to die together in the cloying space. He shivered at the memory, thankful to whatever Gods above that they had both survived. 

He closed his eyes, the fuzzy feeling of the painkillers rounding the sharp edges off his thoughts with unrivalled efficiency. He dozed.

"Rude."

He wasn't sure how long he had been lying there before he heard his name. Brown eyes slid open and he turned to the side, view settling on shimmering turquoise as Reno gazed at him with misty eyes. 

"Reno," he said, throat dry. He wanted to reach out for the water jug, but instead outstretched his hand to the space between their beds. Reno, lying on his side, reached out too, their fingertips brushing clumsily before digits entwined, and the redhead let out a soft sigh.

"Hey, partner," he breathed, the position obviously causing him some pain, but the tenderness of the moment rendering it worthwhile as he squeezed Rude's hand.  
"Hey yourself," Rude replied, "you good?"  
"Been better," Reno whispered, "you?"  
"Likewise," Rude sighed, giving his hand another gentle squeeze. At that moment, a vaguely familiar nurse appeared with a fresh pack of dressings in her hands.  
"The two Turks are finally awake?" she smiled, pulling a chair up beside Reno's bed and depositing the dressings there. Reno reluctantly let go of Rude's hand and glanced over his shoulder at her to where she was positioned behind him.  
"Rare for you to get both of us, huh?" he smiled, "but you'd better be careful, he'll be pissed off if you make this hurt."  
"I'll be careful, don't you worry," she said, nodding at Rude. The bald man hummed in agreement, and sat himself slowly upright. He poured a glass of water, grateful for the hydration. He had woken up before he had needed a feeding tube, thankfully, but the dry and humid hospital environment had made him increasingly thirsty. 

Reno hissed as the nurse peeled back the soiled dressing and dabbed alcohol on his ruined back. Rude couldn't see the damage, but he had been awake, barely, when they had brought Reno back from surgery. The sight of his partner in such a vulnerable state following this major operation had broken his heart. He imagined the sprawling metal holding his partner upright, and silently vowed to kiss and cherish every inch of his scarred flesh once they were out of here. 

"You'd better be careful with him," he said, setting the empty glass down and pouring another, "he's fragile."  
"Hey, fuck you," Reno said without a trace of malice in his voice. The nurse chuckled, picking up a fresh dressing and pressing it to the space between his shoulder blades. He winced at the pressure as she soothingly whispered her apologies.  
"If he's fragile, the rest of us must be made of spun sugar," she said, disposing of the old dressing in a biohazard bin.  
"You're sweet enough," Reno grinned, carefully lying back against the sheets. She clucked her tongue, yet smiled despite herself at the compliment. Reno had always been a charmer.  
"Your turn next, let me see that head injury," she probed tentatively at Rude's scalp, peeling away the bandages as Reno watched with an eagle's gaze. Several large stitches ran the side of his partner's head, the deep bruises beginning to yellow around the edges. Reno felt his stomach keen at the sight, wanting nothing more than to take hold of Rude's broad hands and reassure him as the nurse cleaned and re-dressed the viscous cut. Despite his severe spinal injuries, Reno still figured that Rude had gotten the brunt of the damage. A fact that, he knew, Rude would disagree with. 

"Anyone been to see us?" Rude asked the room. Reno opened his mouth to answer before the nurse said, "no, not yet. Are you waiting for someone?"  
"We were hoping our boss would've checked in by now," Reno interjected, "did we have our phones on us when we came in?"  
"I can ask," she replied, finishing up tending to Rude, "we usually keep things like that in a locker."  
"Already robbed of our dignity, wouldn't want to be actually robbed too," Rude joked weakly. Reno snorted, then regretted the action immediately when his sinuses burned. A side effect from having a tube up his nose, he guessed, hoping that the sensation would pass quickly.  
"That's true. You got my clothes, too? They were expensive," Reno mused, and the nurse chuckled.  
"Afraid not, the surgeons had to cut what was left of your clothes off you to tend to your spine."  
"Damn," Reno looked across at Rude with a raised brow, "not the first time I've been abandoned in public without a gil to my name or a shred of modesty left."  
"Don't start, you had no modesty to begin with," Rude grumbled. The nurse laughed at their exchange, checking their IVs, scribbling notes on the medical charts hanging at the foot of the beds.  
"I'll leave you two alone," she said, "please try to rest."  
"Sure thing," Reno nodded, "oh hey, when will room service arrive? I'm starving."  
"Dinner is in forty minutes," she assured him, "but don't get too excited, it'll be smoothies and purees for a couple of days for you."  
"Aw man," he huffed, "fine - but don't be bringing my man lobster thermidor and buttered rump steak while you force fruity liquid on me."  
"Reno, stop talking about food," Rude glared at him, "or I'll eat you."  
"I'd love to see you try, tough guy, you can't even stand up right now," Reno stuck his tongue out at his partner. The nurse rolled her eyes, laughing despite herself at their easy banter. 

They were lucky to be alive, and luckier still that their mako-enriched systems were accelerating what would usually be a lengthy and tedious healing process. She had no doubt that the redhead, at least, would be back on his feet within a couple of weeks, with a short schedule of physiotherapy to restore fluid movement in his back and shoulders. 

She had seen the damage, checked out the x-rays with morbid fascination...she knew both of them were some of ShinRa's best and brightest, but the sight of the smaller one's splintered vertebrae had given her nightmares, and she couldn't suppress the thought that anyone else, any other normal citizen, would have died painfully. 

Still, these were Turks. Feared and respected and loathed in equal measure by many, although it was hard for her to envision their prowess when they were in her care, joking and chatting idly like a couple of kids.

"Rest, both of you," she commanded softly, "and press the buzzer if you need anything."  
"Thank you," Rude nodded at her and Reno fixed her with a toothy grin. Yes, they would be fine, but their employer might not be...

\--- 

To no one's surprise, their phones were beyond repair, both of them unable to coax even a hint of life from the shattered devices. Their clothes were destroyed as well, too blood-soaked and torn to recognise. Since they had received no contact from their colleagues, and had no easily reachable family to speak of, they were allowed to select a few items of clothing from a worn out hospital catalogue. Their nurse, Angela, had warned them that the garments tended to run big, and she hadn't been lying. Reno had ordered the smallest size available and the pastel yellow T-Shirt still hung off his lanky frame. Rude was a bit more fortunate, broad form easily filling out a medium black shirt, but his broken limb required him to wear shorts, which he hated.  
"Sick gams, bro," Reno had whistled as a doctor had helped his partner into the shorts. The caramel expanse of his partner's thighs were beaten and bruised from, Reno deduced, being crushed and trapped under debris. He made a private pledge that, as soon as this was over and they were out, they would take a month off, either AWOL or agreed, and he would spend that time re-learning every curve and swoop and divot of his partner's body. The topography of bone and muscle and skin familiar yet new beneath his hands.

The first time they got Reno on his feet, he screamed, the metal scaffolding of his spine harsh and new and painful. Rude had cringed at the whines his partner elicited as they removed his catheter and IV, heart aching as they manoeuvred the redhead into a wheelchair to be taken for physical therapy. He didn't unclench his jaw until Reno returned, visibly exhausted at the exercise but brighter, more awake and vivid, eager to recover and get some answers. 

Tseng and Rufus never came. 

Rude started to worry that they had been killed. Reno tried to remain optimistic, suggesting that they were hiding or couldn't reach them. Maybe they simply didn't know where they were, although that wouldn't make sense if it had been Tseng who ordered their extraction. 

Questions spiralled and circled and took on life, which then spawned new questions until they were too exhausted to work through them any more.

It took another week for Rude to be able to stand, and a few more days beyond that for him to get anything out of his physiotherapy. His system had never seemed to accept mako healing the way Reno had, and his bruises faded much slower, his aches lasting a lot longer.

The doctors quickly learned that it was more effective to have them exercise together, each spurred on by the other's progress, Reno running his mouth with supportive words, and Rude reaching out to take his hand when Reno stumbled. When they eventually had Rude walk a length of the room on his own, unsupported, Reno stood at the finish line to cheer him on. Rude had surged into his arms, apologising profusely when his weight had pressed uncomfortably against Reno's shoulders, and they embraced for the first time in over a month. 

Rude swears he heard the nurses swoon when Reno had leaned up to kiss him. 

"I swear to the Gods you got taller," the redhead complained, "I'm gonna break your other leg, bring you down to my level."  
"I'd love to see you try," Rude quipped, hands encircling Reno's waist, which was practically hollow at this point. He didn't think it was possible for him to lose any weight, being too slender for comfort in the first place. They would fix this, he decided, they would start anew. Visions of a life away from Midgar swam through his mind, a pipe dream that they had discussed and pined for and craved as long as they could remember. 

A month had passed since the incident, and still no word from anyone at ShinRa. Reno began joking that they had been fired. Rude started to believe it. Did he dare to dream? The thought that they were free from their servitude at ShinRa made his chest ache with longing. There was no way they would get away scott free. Their history had been too bloody, they had done terrible, unforgivable things. Surely it would catch up to them. Justice would always be served. 

This couldn't be it, could it? The end that they had dreamt of for so long? Freedom, endless and inviting, stretching out before them. 

After one month, three weeks and one day, they were discharged. Reno with a mended, aching spine and a bottle full of pills, Rude with metallic bone and a firm instruction to take it easy and keep up with his exercises. Reno had insisted on taking a wheelchair, pushing his partner out of the hospital, although it became apparent as they reached the taxi rank that he wouldn't be able to push him for long. Rude had stood, snaked an arm around Reno's waist and waited for a ride, the sun setting beautifully behind them. 

"Now what?" Reno asked. 

Reno's words hung in the air like a physical entity. A cloud of confusion and intrigue. How could he answer? How could either of them answer? How could they decide what they were meant to do now? 

_Faked our deaths, lit a match, closed the door, and waited for the flash…_

Rude pulled his partner's lithe form a little closer, held him a little tighter. Reno returned the embrace, head resting on the bigger man's chest. This felt like the calm before the storm. 

His answer should have been easy: go back to HQ. Find Rufus or Tseng or even Elena and ask what the fuck had happened. Report for duty. Get back to the grind of murder and extortion and kidnapping, of carrying out ShinRa's will.

Instead, he looked down at Reno, brown eyes uncovered by his signature shades since he lost them in the incident. The younger looked back at him, interest piqued, plans rattling around his own head. 

Reno would never pull rank with him. He was sure he knew what they _should_ do, but their commitments and his own longing were different things altogether. Whatever decision they made, it would be mutual and agreed. Hierarchy and corporate responsibility be damned. 

This was their future. Their next step. They would take it together or not at all. 

"Let's go," Reno said. Rude exhaled in relief, for he knew exactly what he meant. He smiled, and reached down to take Reno's hand in his own. 

At that moment, Angela came rushing out of the hospital, a fat envelope in her hand. She scanned the sidewalk frantically, eyes wide for her two discharged patients. 

Of all the times for them to receive a message, it would be immediately after they were released.

With a victorious 'aha!', she spotted them waiting for a cab. The redhead was flagging down a car, one arm supporting his bigger partner, still slightly unsteady on his feet. For a split second she feared that they had been discharged too soon, and knew that a normal person would take months or even years to recover from such drastic injury. 

But these weren't normal people. Not in that moment. 

What she didn't know, however, is that they were about to be. 

"Wait!" She called, sprinting along the pavement, the soles of her nursing shoes more accustomed to sleek marble corridors than the rough tarmac outside. Rude looked up, gently pulling Reno back from where he was about to slide into the car.  
"Stop! Hold on!" She waved the envelope at them, "we just...received this...addressed to you...both of you," she panted, thrusting the envelope at them as she caught her breath. Reno grinned at her.  
"Better late than never, Angie," his face fell when he recognised the embossed ShinRa logo on the envelope, and he shot a glance at Rude. Ah well, back to the grind it would be, then. 

He tried to ignore the crushing disappointment and sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, his dreams of a future away from Midgar with the love of his life rushing through his fingers like sand. He felt Rude stiffen beside him, the hand on his waist giving a squeeze that was panicked and reassuring at the same time. She nodded, giving them a smile, although her eyes were filled with pity. 

"Stay safe," she said softly, turning and walking back towards the hospital, giving the two of them and whatever was in that envelope the privacy they deserved. 

With trembling hands, Reno opened the letter. 

The first thing he noticed was a healthy stack of gil. 

The second was a small card, with a single line penned in Tseng's distinctive cursive swirl. 

'Apologies on behalf of the company. Good Luck' 

Angela turned and glanced over her shoulder at the loud cry that erupted from Reno. 

Fearing the worst, that they'd received unwelcome news, she was relieved to see the smaller beaming from ear to ear, happy tears flooding his face. Rude, so reserved and keen to internalise any pain or emotion inside the hospital, was also wearing a smile that suited him beautifully. 

They would be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> (Two fics in a week after a year away, wow). Thank you so much for reading this fic! 
> 
> The title and "faked our deaths" line comes from Sunset by The Midnight which is legiterally THE Reno/Rude song for me. Every single time I hear it I just...fill up with emotion. 
> 
> Just a quick disclaimer: I'm still new to FF7 (choo choo Remake train!) so apologies if anything stands out as weird or conflicting with future canon beyond the Remake. As tagged, this fic isn't canon-compliant. I just wanted to write some established relationship hurt/comfort/recovery goodness. Also I have no idea about medical shizz and now my search history includes frantic results like "how does a feeding tube work" and "how long can a catheter stay in" (I learned W A Y too much about catheters thanks to this fic). 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are veryyy much appreciated. 
> 
> Come scream with me about R/R @ebthanyy on Twitter x


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